Branding Tug of War

Recently we were guiding a client (who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent) through a "mild" rebranding of their organization when we hit an unexpected snag. The kind of air pocket we only hit once or twice a year, but are surprised when we do. Within the heart of this company was a tug of war between the C-level executive team and the Operational leadership. Or, as they lay in bed at night trying to get to sleep, those who count dollar signs to get to sleep, and those who count vacate notices and open work requests.

Branding is a complicated, nebulous thing to begin with, and this post only scratches the surface. (let's meet for a beer for some stories) But in multifamily, this a critical lesson that has been well documented.

There are Stakeholder brand considerations, and there are End User brand considerations. Stakeholder brands are inherently B2B, and must convey return on investment, management acumen and capitalization. End user brands on the other hand are B2C, or customer facing. In asset management, we differentiate these brands with amenities, resident service, commitment to sustainable living, and other more "soft" attributes.

Which is more important? Neither. They're equally important. And we can represent both in a logo design or brand positioning statement. Which should win the branding tug of war? Easy. The End User brand. Here's why;

1. NOI is ultimately tied to the success of the End User brand more than the Stakeholder brand; and savvy owners know this.
2. Residents and prospective residents could care less about your strategic compass or mahogany conference table. They care how fast you'll fix their broken garbage disposal.
3. If your brand and identity look like you're a financial services company, you create a disconnect for your customer. Think: Wall Street.

Our clients who recognize this have higher occupancies, happier employees and set goals based on retention and overall satisfaction. The business goals always follow. As stakeholders, what do these clients do differently than the one who inspired this blog post?

They let the resident win.